ALAMINOS Ship Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles in the Gulf of Mexico

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature observations in this dataset, which captures the thermal structure of the upper ocean. The National Oceanographic Data Center processed mechanical bathythermograph data from the ALAMINOS cruise, recording paired temperature-depth values at 5-meter intervals. Measurements were taken in the Gulf of Mexico over a 10-day period in October 1967.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature structure of the upper 285 meters of the ocean.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in the Gulf of Mexico during October 1967.
• Correlating temperature profiles with reported cruise position, date, and time data.
• Providing a historical baseline for comparisons with modern oceanographic data in the region.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Temporal coverage is precisely defined for a 10-day cruise from 1967-10-05 to 1967-10-14.
• Depth measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean (max ~285m depth), excluding deeper thermal structures.
• A conflict exists on the 'last updated' date between platforms (2026-03-05 vs. 1967-10-14).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1967-10-05 to 1967-10-14

Freshness

2026-03 05 23:57:24.392739

Geography

Gulf of Mexico